The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-03-16

most disqualified me, or his signal sue
cess MS farmer has best qualified him
to SIT i'll Judgment on the merits of the
board. Gust here, rs an act Of simple
justice to Col. Butler, let me say that j
neither drank any of his liquor nor did
l take'a drink with him during my stay
in Columbia.)
| The board of agriculture comprises n
membership of five. One of these posi-
tlons was filled for two years by Gov
ernor Hagood and four years by Gov
ernor Thompson. Charges of the nature
preferred by Capt Tillman will not hold
| good against this fifth of the board in
| the eyes of the public. Col. j. n. Lips
comb, Tor four years secretary of State
and master of the State Grange is
another member of tho board. WHO are
the best Judges of Col. Lipscomb's fit
ness for office, the people of South Caro-
lima, who have twice endorsed him for
the responsible position of secretary of
state, and the farmers, who have unin-
tcTuptediy chosen him for chief of their
Order, or those who arc miserable fail
urcs III their own avocation? A third
membership has been filled by Col. d.
L. Duncan. | can point to no more
conclusive evidence of his fitness and
capacity for tho position than tho fact
that he has been repeatedly chosen by
the most progressive and intelligent
farmers and mechanics for president of
the Agricultural and Mechanical Society
Of the State. w. ID. johnson, n large
and successful planter, who was chan
cellor under the old regime, is fourth
member, and Mr.. a. S. j. Perry, a mcr-
chant, is the fifth and last member of
the board.
TO Mr.. Perry's energy and enterprise
the State is indebted TO IL LARGE extent
for ba,tng the estimate OF the ROYALTY
PAID by the Coosaw Company on crude
rock instead Of dried rock, n measure
which resulted in the recovery OF 81
9o3.iG for tie State and an annual in
crease in its revenue of $1,000. The
operations of the board OF agriculture
were made an object of scrutiny by the
economic cancus of the Legislature in
December, 1885, which was so micro
scope III It's ideas OF rctrcnchment as to
Dc dnbbed "thrcc for quarter" This
investigation was conducted by Repre-
scntailYo Pope, the recognized leader Of
tue economic wing OF the House, ana
Tor the information of the public, and
That n certain party may be struck with
another retaliation of his own errors
and the errors of those around him." [
will quote synopsis of the report rs
given by the News and Courier Decem-
Der ,, 1885:
"Mr. Pope presented an elaborate
statistical report, fully endorsing the
bureau of agriculture, and stating that
any Interference with the bureau at this
tune would be Imwiso and iuiudiciors.
y long discussion followed. Everybody
endorsed the bureau" Stimulated, no
doubt, by the criticisms Of Capt. Till
man, to the effect that the board of agri-
culture was spending lots of money in
lawyers fees, when we had an attorney
general with big salary to attend to
such matters, Mr.. q. w. Shell, OF Lau-
rcnS, introduced resolution in the
April Convention, which the News and
Courier considered "Capt. rilman's
Convention nil tho way through" ap-
pointing a committee OF three to inycsti-
gate the charges
Messrs. Shell, Dargnn and Davis were
appointed on the committee to obtain
the desired information. The commit
tee, by way OF report, introduced Col.
Ia. a. Ransom, who would exl ain the
matter fully to the Convention. AT the
close of Col. Ransom's statement, which
the Columbia correspondent of the
News and Courier said was very clear
and explicit. "5enator Talbcrt moved
that the report of the agricultural buroan
be received as entirely satisfactory to
this Convention. Mr. Uargau moved TO
amend by returning the thanks of the
Convention to Mr.. Ransom for his plain
and explicit statement. He was glad to
see that the bureau had the Judgment to
retain IN It's service SO levcl-headCd an
officer. Adopted amidst applause"
In view of charges of extravaganza and
maladmnistration against the State
government specifically made by Capt.
Iillman, Mr.. Prince, of Anderson, in
troduccd in the same Convention Il reso-
luton providing for con mittco OF ten
TO examine the books and Offices OF the
several State departments. This rcsom-
ton was referred to the committee on
resolutions, and was reported back with
the following comment by the said com
mlttec: "The committee on rules and
resolutions beg leave to report that they
have carefully considered the resolution
submitted by Mr.. Prince in reference to
the appointment of committee to in
vestigatc and report in reference to
State officers, and reflections on said
officers Tor extravaganza and maladmin-
istration, and we are satisfied that said
report or repcrts are unfoundcd and un-
warranted, and we respectfully recon-
mend that said committee be not ap-
pointed. The report of the committee
was adopted without dissent, thus tabling
the resolution" We thus see my brass
endorsed and Capt. Tillman's charges
rcfuted amid applause and 10y the unani-
nous voice OF his own Convention.
Capt. Tillman says 1 have failed to
point out in what way the farmers are
benefited by the board of agriculture,
and do not show whore tho $40, 600 they
have spent has gone, and cannot show
any adequate results of its expenditure.
| have just replied to Capt. 1illman in
the language of his own Convention. /
will now reply to linn in his own Ian
guage. In section "8" OF series of
resolutions introduced into the April
Convention, and known as the Tillman
resolutions, he styles the doubling of the
license tax on fertilizers which wonld